JP2001121089A - Measuring apparatus for sorting agricultural product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a free tray type measuring apparatus for sorting an agricultural product which can precisely measure the appearance of the agricultural product on a tray and can reduce a space and costs by minimizing its size. SOLUTION: The apparatus has a conveying apparatus which holds the agricultural product on a pan at a take-up position formed on the first conveyer and conveys it to a transfer position formed on the second conveyer, a lower surface, etc., measuring apparatus which measures at least the lower surface of the product being conveyed by the conveying apparatus from below, and an empty pan conveying apparatus which conveys the empty pan, with the product taken up at the take-up position, toward the transfer position. The empty pan conveying apparatus is arranged so that its conveyance route short- circuits the conveyance route of the conveying apparatus. The conveyance direction, for example, is set up to be circumferential direction, from the take-up position toward the transfer position, or to be linear.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a measuring device for selecting agricultural products used for selecting agricultural products.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when sorting agricultural products, it has been required to accurately measure (image) the appearance of the agricultural products over as wide a range as possible without damaging the agricultural products as much as possible. Proposes various measuring devices using an imaging screen of a camera. Representative examples thereof include, for example, JP-A-2-198309, JP-A-10-250826, and Patent No. 2737741.
And JP-A-10-435.

First, an article appearance measuring and inspecting apparatus (referred to as a measuring apparatus A) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-198309 is disclosed.
A large number of small-width transport elements are oriented in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and a large number of small-width transport elements are arranged in the transport direction with a slightly narrower gap than the articles, and a single sensor camera and multiple mirrors are combined. The imaging device captures an image of the lower surface of the article placed and transported across the transport elements from below the gap between the transport elements, and measures the upper surface and side surfaces.

[0004] In addition, a fruit and vegetable rotating device (referred to as a measuring device B) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-250826 discloses a fruit and vegetable product placed between rotating members of a sorting conveyor, and the surface peripheral surface and the right and left peripheral surfaces of the fruit and vegetable are rotated. After taking an image with the imaging camera of No. 1, the fruits and vegetables are turned upside down by 180 degrees by the front-rear rotating machine and horizontally rotated by 90 degrees by the horizontal rotating machine, and the front and back peripheral surfaces and the front and rear peripheral surfaces of the fruit and vegetables are used for the second image. In this case, an image is taken by a camera.

[0005] Furthermore, the bulky fruit and vegetable transporting device (referred to as a measuring device C) disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2737741 is disclosed in
The lower surface measuring device for fruits and vegetables is placed in the gap between the supply conveyors, and the holding parts of several gripping arm bars on the running chain provided at the upper position of the supply conveyor are used for bending the fruits and vegetables on the front and rear supply conveyors. The lower side is pinched and gripped, and the bottom of the fruit and vegetable is measured with the lower surface measuring device by passing through the gap, and the appearance other than the lower surface is imaged in the previous process and this and the lower surface measurement value are integrated. is there.

Further, a fruit and vegetable inspection device (referred to as a measuring device D) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-435 is a holding means for holding a fruit and vegetable conveyed on the sorting conveyor at an inspection position on the sorting conveyor. And the holding means is constituted by elevating means which moves up and down to a lowering position for holding the fruit and vegetables and an ascending position at which the lower peripheral surface of the fruit and vegetables is inspected from below by the inspection means.

[0007]

However, in the measuring device A, since the lower surface of the agricultural product placed on the transport element can be imaged from below the gap between the narrow transport elements, the measuring element A and the transport element can be imaged. If the contact surface of the agricultural product is reduced, the measurement field of view will be expanded. In addition, since it is not configured to forcibly drop garbage and the like downward, it is possible to minimize the adhesion of garbage and the like when imaging the bottom surface of the agricultural product and to prevent the agricultural product from rolling, so that the appearance of the agricultural product can be measured relatively accurately. It can be performed.

However, there is a fundamental problem that it is not possible to image a portion (shadowed portion) placed on a narrow conveying element, and in order to improve this problem as much as possible, the width of the conveying element must be reduced. Although it is conceivable to reduce as much as possible, in this case, when the agricultural product is placed and transported, the agricultural product shakes or the like, resulting in a lack of stability, and the measurement accuracy is rather deteriorated. Therefore, this measuring device A
However, there is a problem that it is difficult to solve the above-described fundamental problem, and as a result, it is difficult to measure the appearance with high accuracy.

In the measuring device B, fruits and vegetables such as oranges on a rotating body are turned around 180 degrees by a front-rear rotating machine, and then rotated about 90 degrees horizontally by a horizontal rotating machine. The rotation range varies depending on the size and shape (size of the outer periphery) of the fruits and vegetables, and there is a portion that cannot be measured because it cannot be rotated reliably. was there. In addition, the fruits and vegetables may be damaged by rolling or rotation,
In some cases, the shift for sorting may be out of order, and the number of cameras for measuring the appearance is increased, so that the measuring device itself tends to be expensive.

[0010] Further, in the measuring device C, since the lower side of the fruits and vegetables is held by the holding portions of several holding arm rods, the imaging device arranged in the gap between the supply conveyors has
As a result, it is impossible to take an image of a portion of the fruits and vegetables held by the holding arm rods, so that only a limited lower surface of the fruits and vegetables can be measured, and it is difficult to measure the appearance with high accuracy similarly to the measuring devices A and B. there were. Further, in the measuring device C, since the bottom surface is measured during the transportation of the fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to hold the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the supply conveyor at the preceding stage by several holding arm rods and to transfer the fruits and vegetables to the subsequent supply conveyor. is there.

For this reason, when a so-called free-tray type transport system in which, for example, a tray for placing fruits and vegetables is conveyed without being restrained on the transport surface is adopted as the supply conveyor, even if the fruits and vegetables are picked up from the tray, the fruits and vegetables are kept on the transport surface. An empty pan remains, and the empty pan is conveyed to the gap, so that the underside measurement of the fruits and vegetables cannot be performed. as a result,
There was also a problem that the form of the supply conveyor was limited to a belt conveyor or a bucket conveyor on which fruits and vegetables were placed directly on the transport surface, and it was not possible to use a free tray-type supply conveyor, which is widely used in agricultural product sorting facilities. .

Further, the measuring device D has a structure in which the cameras arranged at both sides in the width direction of the sorting conveyor and slightly above the transport surface image the lifted fruits and vegetables from obliquely below. It is necessary to lift the fruits and vegetables conveyed above by a lifting machine to a position where the lower periphery of the fruits and vegetables can be inspected. I have to lift it. As a result, the length and height of the lifting machine are inevitably increased, and as the length of the lifting machine increases, the number of holding arms and the like also increases, which increases the cost of the lifting machine itself and requires a large installation space. There was a point. This problem is more likely to become more pronounced as fruit products become larger, such as apples and watermelons, because they need to be lifted higher.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a free tray type agricultural product sorting facility which can accurately determine the appearance of agricultural products on trays. It is another object of the present invention to provide a measuring device for selecting agricultural products, which can reduce the size of the measuring device as much as possible and save space and cost. Also,
The object of the invention described in claim 2 or 3 is to provide a measuring device for agricultural products sorting capable of efficiently operating a transfer device in a sorting facility, in addition to the object of the invention described in claim 1, and claim 4. It is an object of the present invention to provide a measuring device for sorting agricultural products in which the transfer device can be operated more efficiently, in addition to the objects of the present invention described in claims 1 to 3. Also,
The object of the invention described in claim 5 is, in addition to the objects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 4, to provide a measuring device for agricultural product selection capable of measuring the upper surface and the like of the agricultural product and measuring its appearance with higher accuracy. It is in.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, an agricultural product on a saucer is held at a pick-up position formed on a first conveyor device. A transfer device for transferring to a transfer position formed on a second conveyor device, a measuring device such as a lower surface for measuring at least a lower surface of the agricultural product from below during transfer of the agricultural product by the transfer device, And an empty tray transport device that transports the empty tray that has been picked up toward the transfer position, and the empty tray transport device is disposed such that its transport path bypasses the transport path of the transport device. It is characterized by the following.

[0015] With this configuration, the agricultural product placed on the tray of the first conveyor device and transported to the pick-up position is picked up, for example, by suction by the transfer device, and is transferred to the second conveyor device. Transferred to position. The lower surface side of the agricultural product held and transported by the transport device is exposed in the middle of the transport, and the lower surface appearance is measured by a measuring device such as the lower surface in this state. Measured. In addition, since the lower surface of the agricultural product is measured by the lower surface measuring device arranged below the agricultural product, the agricultural device can be lifted slightly from the saucer by the transfer device, and the height of the transport device can be lowered. In addition, the empty pan where the agricultural product is picked up at the pick-up position is conveyed to the transfer position while being pooled by a predetermined amount by the empty pan transport device arranged so as to bypass the transfer path of the transfer device. Therefore, for example, the tray used at the pick-up position and the transfer position can have the same specification.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the transfer direction at the pick-up position of the first conveyor device and the transfer position of the second conveyor device are set substantially in parallel, and the transfer direction of the transfer device is changed. It is characterized in that it is set in the circumferential direction from the pickup position to the transfer position. With this configuration, the agricultural product picked up at the pickup position of the first conveyor device is transferred in the circumferential direction by the transfer device, and the second agricultural product is disposed substantially in parallel with the first conveyor device. Since the transfer is made to the transfer position of the conveyor device, the first
In the sorting facility having the layout having the second conveyor device and the second conveyor device, a rotary transfer type transfer device is easily installed between the two conveyor devices.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the transfer direction at the pick-up position of the first conveyor device and the transfer position of the second conveyor device is set to be substantially linear, and the transfer direction of the transfer device is set. Are set substantially linearly from the pickup position to the transfer position. With this configuration, the agricultural products picked up at the pickup position of the first conveyor device are transferred substantially linearly by the transfer device,
Since it is transferred to the transfer position of the second conveyor device arranged substantially linearly with the first conveyor device, in the layout sorting facility having the first and second conveyor devices that are substantially linear, A linear transfer type transfer device is easily installed between the conveyor devices.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the empty tray transport device includes a tray supply means for supplying an empty tray to the transfer position in synchronization with the transfer operation of the agricultural product by the transfer device. . With such a configuration, the empty trays pooled in the empty tray transport device are supplied to the transfer position in synchronization with the transfer operation of the agricultural product by the tray supply means. Is reliably supplied, and for example, a transfer error of the transfer position of the agricultural product on the tray by the transfer device is prevented.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that a measuring device is provided upstream or downstream of the transfer device for measuring at least the upper surface of the agricultural product. By configuring in this manner, the lower surface of the agricultural product is measured by the lower surface measuring device, and the upper surface of the agricultural product is measured by the upper surface measuring device. Measured with high accuracy.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show an embodiment of a measuring device for sorting agricultural products according to the present invention,
1 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1, and FIG.
5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a measuring method. FIG.

In FIG. 1, a measuring device 1 is arranged in a substantially parallel manner and has a first conveying direction set in a reverse direction.
1st conveyor device 2 and 2nd conveyor device 3
A transfer device 4 and a lower surface measuring device 5 are arranged between the downstream side of the conveyor device 2 and the upstream side of the second conveyor device 3, and the two conveyor devices 2 and 3 are connected by an empty tray transport conveyor 6. ing.

The first conveyor device 2 has an upper surface measuring device 7 disposed upstream thereof, and the upper surface measuring device 7 has a cover 9 disposed on a machine frame 8 as shown in FIG. A camera 10 such as a line sensor camera, a top reflection mirror 11, and a pair of side reflection mirrors 12a and 12b are arranged in an upper portion of the cover 9.

A concave portion 9a is formed on the lower surface of the cover 9, and for example, 4
The illuminations 13 are arranged, and a pair of mirrors 14a and 14b for side surface measurement are arranged to face each other. The width of the concave portion 9a of the cover 9 is set to a width that allows the agricultural product W to pass through the inside thereof, and the bottom (upper surface) and the side surface of the concave portion 9a of the cover 9 are provided with measurement slits of a predetermined width (not shown). Is formed. The upper surface measuring device 7 photographs the upper surface Wa of the agricultural product W and the left and right side surfaces Wb and Wc, and measures the appearance (color, scratch, size, and the like).

As shown in FIG. 1, a tray 16 used in the first conveyor device 2 (and the second conveyor device 3) is provided downstream of the upper surface measuring device 7 of the first conveyor device 2. Is rotated by 90 degrees in a horizontal plane. The rotating devices 17 are provided on conveyors 18 provided on both sides of the first conveyor device 2 in the transport direction A.
a and 18b, and the conveyors 18a and 18b rotate in opposite directions as indicated by arrows B and C, whereby the tray 16 is rotated 90 degrees in a horizontal plane as indicated by arrows D. The rotating device 17 includes a pair of conveyors 18.
The configuration is not limited to the configurations a and 18b, and an appropriate configuration such as, for example, using a rotating plate can be employed.

On the downstream side of the rotating device 17,
For example, a plurality (three in the figure) of conveyors 19a to 19c are connected in series, and sensors 20a,
20b are provided respectively. This sensor 20a,
According to the detection signal of 20b, the agricultural products W are supplied at predetermined timing by predetermined amounts to the pitching conveyor 21 connected to the downstream side of the conveyor 19c. The pitching conveyor 21 includes, for example, a pitching screw 21a provided on the right side in the transport direction A and a conveyor 2 provided on the left side.
1b, and supplies the conveyed agricultural products W at a predetermined pitch to the conveyer 22 having the lowermost stream of the first conveyor device 2.

The conveyer 22 has protrusions 22a protruding at predetermined intervals on the conveying surface.
By arranging the trays 16 on which the agricultural products W are placed between 2a, the agricultural products W are transported at a constant pitch. A pickup position S1 is provided at a predetermined position of the conveyer 22. For example, a bar code (tray identification information) assigned to each tray 16 is provided immediately upstream of the pickup position S1. A reader 23 is provided. The barcode reader 23 is connected to a control device (not shown), and the tray identification information read by the barcode reader 23 is stored in a predetermined address position of the control device (storage unit).

On the other hand, on the most upstream side in the transport direction of the second conveyor device 3, a conveyer 24 having a constriction 24a at a fixed interval is arranged similarly to the conveyer 22 on the first conveyor device 2. ing. And this conveyer 2
4 is provided with a sensor 25 for detecting the presence or absence of the tray 16, and a bar code of the tray 16 is provided downstream of a transfer position S 2 provided at a predetermined position of the conveyer 24. A bar code reader 26 for reading is arranged, and this bar code reader 26 is also a bar code reader 23.
Similarly to the above, it is connected to the control device.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transfer device 4 disposed between the conveyer 24 of the second conveyor device 3 and the conveyer 22 of the first conveyor device 2 has a machine frame. 27 has a turntable 29 rotatably supported via a vertical shaft 28. A plurality of (twelve in the figure) pick-up members 31 are attached to the rotary disc 29 via a support frame 30 that can move in the diameter direction at an outer peripheral position thereof. The pickup member 31 includes a slide shaft 33 provided on the support frame 30 by a vertical guide cam 32 so as to be vertically movable, and a slide shaft 3.
3 and a bellows-shaped suction plate 34 fixed to the lower end of the base 3.

The suction plate 34 of the pick-up member 31 is connected to one end of a suction pipe 35 (see FIG. 3), the other end of which is connected to a blower device (not shown) (not shown). When the inside of the suction board 34 becomes a negative pressure by the operation of the blower device in a state of being in contact with the upper surface Wa of W, the lower edge of the suction board 34 is sucked to the agricultural product W.
The rotation of the turntable 29 (the transfer path of the transfer device 4) rotates in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 1, and this rotation is synchronized with the transfer of the first conveyor device 2 and the second conveyor device 3 in a bucket clock manner. At the same time, for example, the suction disk 34 of one pick-up member 31 is
6, the suction disk 34 of the pick-up member 31 of the rotating disk 29, for example, which is substantially diametrically opposed, is positioned on the tray 16 at the transfer position S <b> 2 of the conveyer 24. .

In the vicinity of the transfer device 4, a rotating disk 34 is provided.
The lower surface measuring device 5 for measuring the appearance of the agricultural product W picked up by the pickup member 31 is disposed. The lower surface measuring device 5 is formed, for example, in a configuration in which the upper surface measuring device 7 is approximately upside down, and as shown in FIGS.
7 has a cover 38 having a concave portion 38a formed on the upper surface side. A camera 39 similar to the camera 10 and a lower reflection mirror 40 are provided at a lower portion inside the cover 38.
And a pair of side surface reflection mirrors 41a and 41b.

Inside the concave portion 38a on the upper surface of the cover 38, for example, four illuminations 42 are arranged, and a pair of side surface measuring mirrors 43a and 43b are arranged so as to face each other. Further, a slit 44 for measurement having a predetermined width is formed on the bottom surface and the side surface of the concave portion 38a of the cover 38, and the slit 44 on the bottom surface is directly below the mirror 40, 41a as shown in FIG. , 41b are provided so as not to be located. As a result, even if garbage or the like attached to the agricultural product W falls downward, the garbage does not directly adhere to the mirrors 40, 41a, 41b, and the like. The lower surface measuring device 5 photographs the lower surface Wd of the agricultural product W and the front and rear side surfaces We and Wf, and measures the appearance (color, scratch, size, and the like).

The lower surface measuring device 5 is also connected to the control device in the same manner as the upper surface measuring device 7, and the control device transmits the tray identification information from the bar code readers 23 and 26 to each tray 16. And the measurement information of the agricultural products W placed on the tray 16 are stored in one-to-one correspondence. In addition, the measurement information of the agricultural product W on the tray 16 of the first conveyor device 2 is associated with the transfer of the agricultural product W to the tray 16 of the second conveyor device 3, The tray identification information of the tray 16 is shifted, and the tray identification information of the transferred tray 16 and the measurement information of the agricultural product W on the tray 16 are linked and stored in the control device.

The downstream side of the first conveyor device 2 and the second
As shown in FIG. 1, the empty tray transport conveyor 6 is connected and disposed as an empty tray transport means on the upstream side of the conveyor device 3. The empty tray transport conveyor 6 is arranged such that its transport path is substantially U-shaped in plan view, and the upstream side is connected to the downstream side of the conveyer 22 with the support of the first conveyor apparatus 2 and the downstream side is connected to the downstream side. The second conveyor device 3 is connected to the upstream side of the conveyer 24. In addition, a predetermined number (10 in FIG.
Empty trays 16 are pooled in advance, and the transfer device 4
The empty tray 16 is supplied in correspondence with the transport movement of the agricultural product W by the user.

A pitching screw 46 is provided downstream of the empty tray conveyor 6 as a tray supply means.
Are configured to be linked with the conveyer 24 with the support of the second conveyor device 3 by a clutch 47. The operation of the pitching screw 46 by the clutch 47 causes the empty trays 16 to be sent out one by one to the conveyor 24 with a support in synchronism with the transfer timing of the transfer device 4.

In addition, appropriate sensors other than those described above are arranged at appropriate locations of the first conveyor device 2 and the second conveyor device 3 and connected to the control device. When there is a tray 16 on which no agricultural product W is placed on the tray 16, the operation of the transfer device 4 or the pitching screw 46 (clutch 47) is performed.
Is configured to be appropriately controlled by the control device. Further, in this example, the pitching screw 46 of the empty tray transport conveyor 6 is operated in synchronization with the timing of the transfer device 4. However, for example, by increasing the transport speed of the conveyer 24 with the support in the second conveyor device 2. , Can be synchronized with the transfer operation of the transfer device 4.

Next, an example of the operation of the measuring device 1 will be described. First, the tray 16 on the first conveyor device 2 on which the agricultural products W are placed is transported downstream by a supply conveyor or a transport conveyor (not shown) connected to the upstream side of the first conveyor device 2 and shown in the drawing. The internal quality is measured by an internal quality inspection device that is not used, and the agricultural product W is transported further downstream and supplied to the upper surface measurement device 7.

The agricultural product W supplied to the upper surface measuring device 7
While passing through the inside of the concave portion 9a of the cover 9 of the measuring device 7, the upper surface Wa of the agricultural product W and the left and right side surfaces Wb and Wc are measured by the camera 10 from the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. This measurement information is stored in the address position of the control device corresponding to the tray identification information of the tray 16 on which the measured agricultural product W is placed. Thus, the internal quality information of the agricultural product W and measurement information such as the upper surface Wa and the upper surfaces of the three left and right side surfaces Wb and Wc are measured and stored in the control device.

The agricultural product W measured by the top surface measuring device 7 is horizontally rotated by 90 degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow D by the rotating device 17, and the conveyors 19a to 19a are oriented in the directions shown in FIG.
c, and is supplied to the conveyer 22 with a pitch by the pitching conveyor 21. The agricultural products W supplied to the conveyor 22 are transported to the downstream side while being placed one by one between the accommodations 22a.
Is read by the barcode reader 23, the pick-up member 31 of the transfer device 4 that rotates in synchronization with the transport of the tray 16 rotates in the direction of arrow E while gradually descending, and When the upper member 31 reaches the pickup position S1, the lowermost position is reached.

At the pickup position S1, the suction plate 34 of the pickup member 31 contacts the upper surface Wa of the agricultural product W on the tray 16 read and conveyed by the bar code reader 26, and the inside of the suction plate 34 is negative. The pressure is applied to the upper surface Wa of the agricultural product W to be adsorbed. As a result, the agricultural product W is sucked and held by the suction disk 34 of the pick-up member 31 and gradually rises while rotating in the circumferential direction, so that the agricultural product W is removed from the tray 16 at the pick-up position S1 of the conveyer 22. Be taken up.

The agricultural product W picked up by the pick-up member 31 is further moved in the circumferential direction and is supplied to the lower surface measuring device 5 at a position rotated by approximately 90 degrees. The appearance of Wd and the front and rear side surfaces We and Wf is measured as follows. That is, at the pickup position S1, the direction of the side surface of the agricultural product W is as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the side surfaces Wb and Wc measured by the upper surface measuring device 7 are located before and after in the transport direction a by the rotation of the rotating device 17, and the agricultural product W in this state is taken up by the pickup member 31
And is rotated 90 degrees in a horizontal plane by the rotation of the turntable 29 in the direction of arrow E.

By this rotation, the side surfaces Wb, W of the agricultural product W
5c is supplied into the lower surface measuring device 5 in the direction of FIG. 5C, the lower surface Wd is measured, and the camera 39 from the direction of the arrow G, between the side surfaces Wb and Wc, which is not measured by the upper surface measuring device 7. Of the pair of side surfaces We and Wf will be measured. Thereby, three surfaces such as the lower surface Wd of the agricultural product W are measured, and the lower surface and other measurement information is linked to the upper surface and the like measurement information of the control device and stored.

The agricultural product W whose lower surface or the like has been measured by the lower surface measuring device 5 is gradually rotated by the rotating disk 29, so that the pick-up member 31 is gradually moved forward of the transfer position S2 of the conveyer 24. It rotates while descending, and the transfer position S2
Then, the suction state of the suction board 34 is released. Thereby, the agricultural product W is placed (transferred) on the tray 16 at the transfer position S2 of the attached conveyor 24 of the second conveyor device 3 which is synchronized with the rotation of the transport device 4, and the agricultural product W The tray identification information of the tray 16 on which is placed is read by the barcode reader 26 immediately downstream thereof.

The read tray identification information of the tray 16 is output to the control device, and the control device shifts the tray identification information of the tray 16 read by the bar code reader 23 and links various measurement information. The state is stored in the control device. Thereby, the internal quality information of the agricultural product W on the tray 16 of the second conveyor device 3,
The measurement information such as the upper surface and the measurement information such as the lower surface are stored in the address position of the tray identification information of the tray 16 of the second conveyor device 3, and based on the stored information, the control device determines the grade of the agricultural product W. Is determined. Then, based on this determination result, a sorting conveyor (not shown) connected to the downstream side of the second conveyor device 3 is operated, so that the sorting of the agricultural products W is performed.

On the other hand, the empty tray 16 from which the agricultural products W have been picked up at the pick-up position S1 of the conveyer 22 of the first conveyor device 2 is conveyed to the downstream side and supplied to the empty tray conveying conveyor 6. A predetermined amount is pooled by the empty tray conveyor 6. Then, the empty trays 16 located at the most downstream side of the empty tray transport conveyor 6 are sent out one by one to the belt conveyor 24 in synchronization with the operation of the transfer device 4 by the pitching screw 46 as described above. The agricultural products W are transferred by the transfer device 4 at the time of being transported to the loading position S2. That is, since the first conveyor device 2 and the second conveyor device 3 are connected by the empty tray transport conveyor 6, the trays 1 of the two conveyor devices 2, 3
6 is the tray 16 at the pick-up position S1 and the transfer position S2.
Although the trays 16 do not always correspond one-to-one, those having the same specifications are used.

In the above description, one agricultural product W picked up from the tray 16 at the pick-up position S1 of the conveyer 22 is continuously rotated by the turntable 29, and this is turned on by the conveyer 22. 24 transfer positions S2
In the above, a series of operations to be placed on the tray 16 has been described, but it is of course possible to transfer the agricultural products W by step-feeding the turntable 29 at a predetermined indexing angle.

As described above, in the measuring apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, the conveyer 22 having a stay which is located downstream of the first conveyor apparatus 2 and the conveyer 24 which is located upstream of the second conveyor apparatus 3 are provided. A transfer device 4 having a rotating disk 29 is arranged between the first and second conveyor devices 2, and a lower surface measurement device 5 is arranged near the transfer device 4, and an upper surface measurement device 7 is arranged on the first conveyor device 2. Therefore, the cameras 10, 3 of the two measuring devices 7, 5
9, the upper surface Wa, the lower surface Wd, and the four side surfaces W of the agricultural product W
b, Wc, We, Wf can be imaged,
Can be satisfactorily imaged over the entire outer periphery of.

In particular, at the time of measurement by the lower surface measuring device 5, the upper surface Wa of the agricultural product W is sucked and held by the suction disk 34 so that at least the lower surface Wd is completely exposed. Since the camera 39 is arranged below the transfer surface of the camera 22, the camera 39 can image the lower surface Wd of the agricultural product W in a favorable state. In addition, since the upper surface measuring device 7 and the lower surface measuring device 5 can image the six surfaces of the agricultural product W in a state where the six surfaces are divided into three by two, measurement conditions by the measuring devices 7, 5 can be made substantially the same. For example, it becomes unnecessary to correct measurement data. From these facts, even with the conveyor devices 2 and 3 using the tray 16, the appearance of the agricultural products W can be measured with high accuracy, and the sorting accuracy of the agricultural products W can be increased. Can be achieved.

Further, since the transfer path of the empty tray transfer conveyor 6 is set so as to bypass the transfer path of the agricultural products W by the transfer device 4, a predetermined amount of the empty tray 16
Can be pooled on the empty tray conveyor 6 regardless of the transfer operation of the transfer device 4. In addition, since the pitching screws 46 are arranged downstream of the empty tray transport conveyor 6, the empty trays 16 pooled on the empty tray transport conveyor 6 can be removed one by one in synchronization with the operation of the transfer device 4. The agricultural products W transferred by the transfer device 4 can be reliably transferred onto the tray 16 at the transfer position S2 because the products can be reliably supplied to the conveyer 24. As a result, the conveyer 2 with the accommodation by the transfer device 4
For example, it is possible to efficiently operate the transfer device 4 such that there is no mistake in transferring the agricultural product W onto the tray 16 of the transfer device 4.

Further, since there is no empty tray transport conveyor 6 below the transport path of the transport device 4, the camera 39, the mirror 40, etc. of the lower surface measuring device 5 are much larger than the transport surface of the first conveyor device 2. It can be placed down. Therefore, when the transport device 4 lifts the agricultural product, it is only necessary to slightly lift the agricultural product from the tray 16 on the conveyer 22, and it is possible to reduce the base height of the transport device 4 and reduce the size of the transport device 4 itself. be able to. Further, since the transfer device 4 is of a rotating type, even in a sorting facility having the conveyers 22 and 24 arranged in parallel, the transfer device 4 is efficiently installed between the conveyers 22 and 24. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the device, reduce the installation space, and achieve more efficient operation.

Further, the first conveyor device 2 and the second
Are connected by the empty tray transport conveyor 6, the trays 16 of the same specifications can be used for both the conveyor devices 2 and 3, the cost of the tray 16 itself can be reduced, and the sorting facility can be used. Tray 16 to be used
Types can be reduced. Also, the upper surface measuring device 7
Since the configuration of the bottom measurement device 5 and the bottom measurement device 5 are formed upside down, the components of the measurement devices 7 and 5 can be shared, and the three measurement devices 7 and 5 measure the three surfaces of the agricultural product W, respectively. Can be performed, so that the cameras 39, 10
Simplification of the configuration of the upper surface measuring device 7 and the lower surface measuring device 5 such that the measurement data is not affected by the aberration of the lens near the both ends of the lens, and the correction of the measurement data by the control device becomes unnecessary as described above. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a less expensive measuring device 1.

In the measuring device 1 of the above embodiment, the following additional effects can be obtained.
That is, a transfer device 4 capable of moving and transferring the agricultural product W in the circumferential direction between the conveyors 22 and 24, and a lower surface measuring device 5 disposed at a position close to the transfer device 4, Since the slit 44 on the bottom surface of the concave portion 38a of the cover 38 of the measuring device 5 is provided so that the mirror 40 and the like are not positioned immediately below the same, the fall of dust and the like adhering to the agricultural product W to the mirror 40 and the like is prevented as much as possible. Can be
The state of the lower surface measuring device 5 can be kept clean, and more accurate measurement can be performed, and maintenance such as cleaning can be easily performed.

Further, the upper surface measuring device 7 is arranged on the first conveyor device 2, and a rotating device 17 for rotating the agricultural product W whose upper surface is measured by 90 degrees downstream of the upper surface measuring device 7.
And the transfer device 4 transfers in the circumferential direction, so that the agricultural product W rotated by 90 degrees by the rotating device 17.
Is simply picked up by the transfer device 4 and rotated and moved through the lower surface measuring device 5 to measure the six surfaces of the agricultural product W. For example, it is not necessary to provide the transfer device 4 with a rotation mechanism. The configuration of the measuring device 1 can be further simplified. Further, the rotation of the agricultural product W by the rotating device 17 is performed by the conveyors 18a and 18b on both sides in the transport direction A.
The rotation of the tray 16 is performed, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the agricultural product W from being damaged during the rotation.

6 and 7 show another embodiment of the measuring apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part thereof, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. is there. Hereinafter, the same portions as those in the above-described embodiment will be described by assigning the same reference numerals. The feature of this embodiment is that the pick-up member 31 of the transfer device 4 is configured to move up and down while moving on a straight line, and the first and second conveyor devices 2 and 2 are arranged linearly. 3 in that they are arranged substantially linearly.

That is, a predetermined space 48 is provided on the most downstream side of the conveyer 22 of the first conveyor device 2 and the most upstream side of the conveyer 24 of the second conveyor device 3,
While the lower surface measuring device 5 is arranged in this space 48,
The transfer device 4 is arranged such that one linear portion 4a is located in the concave portion 38a of the cover 38 of the lower surface measuring device 5. The transfer device 4 has a traveling chain 50 suspended on a pair of sprockets 49a and 49b, and the traveling chain 50 is supported by a support frame 54 as shown in FIG.

The guide 54 a provided on the support frame 54 is engaged with the guide 51 a provided on the machine frame 51,
When the traveling chain 50 moves along the transfer path by the operation of the transfer device 4, the pickup member 31 moves up and down between the pickup position S1 and the transfer position S2. The support frame 54 is constantly urged downward by a spring 53, and the agricultural product W is
Is lifted and moved by a predetermined distance against the urging force of the spring 53, and when the lifted agricultural product W is transferred, the support frame 54 is moved.
Is lowered by the urging force of the spring 53.

Further, between the downstream side of the pick-up position S1 of the conveyer 22 of the first conveyor device 2 and the upstream side of the transfer position S2 of the conveyer 24 of the second conveyor device 3 An empty tray transport conveyor 6 having a transport surface formed on a machine frame 55 is disposed in a state of bypassing the transport direction of the transport device 4 and outside of the conveyers 22 and 24. Conveyor 24 with this empty tray conveyor 6
On the side, the empty tray 1 is synchronized with the transfer operation of the transfer device 4.
Stoppers 52 for sending out the pieces 6 one by one to the conveyer 24
(See FIG. 6).

In this example, the barcode readers 23 and 26 provided at the pick-up position S1 of the conveyer 22 and the transfer position S2 of the conveyer 24,
For example, by setting the speeds of the conveyers 22 and 24 and the empty tray conveyor 6 so that the timing of the conveyance and the timing of the transfer device 4 are synchronized, the operation can be omitted. Further, in this embodiment, for example, if the agricultural product W is re-transferred at the transfer position S2 onto the empty tray 16 where the agricultural product W has been picked up at the pick-up position S1, the control by the control device can be performed. It can be further simplified.

In the measuring apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the same operation and effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained. In particular, when the conveyors 22 and 24 having both sides must be linearly arranged in the sorting facility. , The transfer device 4 can be easily installed and operated efficiently.

In the above embodiment, the case where the upper surface measuring device 7 and the rotating device 17 are arranged on the first conveyor device 2 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second It can also be arranged on the conveyor device 3. In this case, the rotating device 17 is provided on the downstream side of the transfer position S2 of the conveyer 24, and on the upstream side of the sorting conveyor,
The upper surface measuring device 7 is arranged downstream of the rotating device 17.

Further, the form of the first conveyor device 2 and the second conveyor device 3 in the above embodiment is merely an example, and various types of conveyors that can use the tray 16 can be appropriately adopted and combined. However, the shape of the tray 16 itself is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and a tray 16 having an appropriate shape can be used according to the type and shape of the agricultural product W and the purpose of use. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the upper surface measuring device 7 and the lower surface measuring device 5 have substantially the same structure upside down, but it is of course possible to use different types of measuring devices.

Further, as the agricultural product W in the present invention, even a spherical agricultural product such as apple, tangerine, melon, watermelon, an agricultural product such as potato, a long agricultural product such as cucumber, eggplant and the like can be easily applied. Also, the number and operation method of the pick-up members 31 of the transfer device 4, the transfer path of the empty tray transfer conveyor 6, the transfer path of the transfer device 4, and the like are not limited to the above embodiments, but deviate from the gist of each invention according to the present invention. Needless to say, various changes can be made within a range not to be performed.

[0062]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the lower part of the agricultural product is placed on the transfer path of the transfer device for holding the agricultural product on the tray at the upper position and transferring it to the transfer position. Since the lower surface measuring device for measuring at least the lower surface of the agricultural product is disposed, the lower surface side of the agricultural product is exposed at the time of the measurement during the transfer, so that the lower surface of the agricultural product can be measured with high accuracy. Further, since there is no conveyor or the like below the transfer path of the transfer device, the lower surface measuring device can be arranged at an optimum height position. Therefore, the agricultural products can be transported by slightly lifting them from the saucer by the transport device, and the height of the transport device can be reduced, so that the measuring device can be reduced in size and the installation space can be saved, and the empty space can be saved. For example, since the trays are conveyed to the transfer position while being pooled by a predetermined amount by an empty tray transfer device provided so as to bypass the transfer path of the transfer device, the trays used at the pickup position and the transfer position are the same. It is possible to reduce the cost of the measuring device in addition to miniaturization, for example, it is possible to meet the specifications.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the agricultural product picked up at the pickup position of the first conveyor device is transferred in the circumferential direction by the transfer device. Is transferred to the transfer position of the second conveyor device arranged substantially in parallel with the first conveyor device,
In a sorting facility having a layout having substantially parallel first and second conveyor devices, a rotary transfer device can be easily installed between the two conveyor devices, and efficient operation of the transfer device in the sorting facility can be achieved. it can.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the agricultural product picked up at the pickup position of the first conveyor device is transferred substantially linearly by the transfer device. Is transferred to the transfer position of the second conveyor device arranged substantially linearly with the first conveyor device. Therefore, in a layout sorting facility having a substantially linear first and second conveyor devices. In addition, a linear transfer type transfer device can be easily installed between the two conveyor devices, and efficient operation of the transfer device in the sorting facility can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, the empty pans pooled in the empty pan transporting device are transported by the pan supply means for agricultural products. The transfer tray is supplied to the transfer position in synchronism with the transfer tray, so that the empty tray is reliably supplied to the transfer position and the transfer device eliminates mistakes in transferring the agricultural products onto the tray. Operation can be planned.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to fourth aspects, the lower surface of the agricultural product is measured by the lower surface measuring device and the upstream or downstream of the transfer device. Since the upper surface of the agricultural product is measured by the upper surface measuring device arranged on the side, it is possible to measure the entire circumference of the agricultural product, and it is possible to measure the appearance with higher accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a measuring device for sorting agricultural products according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the measurement method.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part showing another embodiment of the measuring device for sorting agricultural products according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ··· Measuring device 2 ··· 1st conveyor device 3 ··· 2 Conveyor device 4 Transfer device 5 Lower surface measuring device 6・ Empty tray transport conveyor 7 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Top measuring device 10,39 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Camera 16 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Tray 17 ····· Rotating devices 22, 24 ································· Bar code reader 29 ····· ······· Rotating plate 31 ································································・ ・ ・ Pitching screw 47 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・··· Clutch 52 ··· Stopper S1 ··· Pickup position S2 ··· Transfer position W・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Agricultural products Wa ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Top surface Wd ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Bottom surface Wc, Wd, We, Wf ・··side

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Sadayasu Sato 630 Shinagawase-cho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside Maki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2F065 AA11 AA49 AA59 AA61 BB15 BB24 CC00 DD02 DD13 FF04 GG01 HH14 JJ02 JJ03 JJ05 JJ25 JJ26 LL12 MM03 MM04 PP12 PP15 PP22 QQ23 TT01 TT02 TT03 TT04 CA07 DA07 CA07 DA04 CA26 CA32 CA42 CB25 CB30 DA02 DA04 DA11

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A transfer device for holding agricultural products on a receiving tray at a pick-up position formed on a first conveyor device and transferring them to a transfer position formed on a second conveyor device, and the transfer device. A lower surface measuring device for measuring at least the lower surface of the agricultural product from below while the agricultural product is being transported, and an empty tray transporter for transporting the empty tray from which the agricultural product has been picked up at the pick-up position to the transfer position. A measuring device for sorting agricultural products, characterized in that the measuring device is provided such that the empty tray conveying device is arranged so that a conveying route of the empty tray conveying device bypasses a transferring route of the transferring device. 2. A pickup position of said first conveyor device and a second position of said first conveyor device.
The transfer direction of the transfer device at the transfer position is set substantially in parallel, and the transfer direction of the transfer device is set circumferentially from the pickup position to the transfer position. The measuring device for sorting agricultural products according to claim 1. 3. A pickup position of the first conveyor device and a second position of the first conveyor device.
The transfer direction of the conveyor device at the transfer position is set to be substantially linear, and the transfer direction of the transfer device is set to be substantially linear from the pickup position to the transfer position. The measuring device for sorting agricultural products according to claim 1. 4. The tray receiving device according to claim 1, wherein said empty tray transporting device includes tray receiving means for supplying an empty tray to said transfer position in synchronization with a transfer operation of agricultural products by said transport device. The measuring device for selecting agricultural products according to any one of the above. 5. The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an upper surface measuring device disposed at an upstream side or a downstream side of the transfer device for measuring at least an upper surface of the agricultural product. Measuring device.